Chapter 29
“Dad!”
Every time. My heart squeezed and my breath caught.
Dad.
Remy ran past me with the football tucked under his arm. My gaze followed boy and ball to find Rhode walking out the back door.
“You need a dog,” Letty said from beside me.
“What?”
“The only thing cuter than a boy running across the backyard to his dad is if a puppy is chasing the boy.”
She had that right.
“Sugar. Letty.” Rhode called his greeting from where Remington had stopped him.
My boy’s arms wrapped tight around his dad’s waist. Rhode was ruffling Remy’s hair with one hand while the other was on Remy’s shoulder.
Father and son.
“Hey, Dulles. How was your day?” Letty asked.
“Productive.”
Remy stepped to the side and I took in Rhode. My eyes raked the length of him. Same tan cargos, same navy blue t-shit, no blood stains, no injuries. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
He was home safe.
“Well, that’s awesome because Mom and Dad are on their way over. They said not to cook because they’re bringing dinner.”
Rhode’s eyes cut to me and I was happy I was sitting down because the look on his face made my body tingle.
From my toes all the way to my scalp. I could only describe it as peaceful.
There was a tinge of happiness but mostly everything about him screamed at ease.
Like he liked coming home from work, finding his boy in the backyard playing ball with one of his friends, then abandoning the game to run to him calling his name.
Yes, that was exactly what Rhode looked like.
And that made me tingle from top to toe.
“Sounds good,” he answered Letty but didn’t take his eyes off of me. “Did you look at the listings?”
The house listings. That was one of the few bright moments when the drama surrounding us fell away.
And now seeing that look, knowing that was my future—Rhode coming home to us after work and finding what he needed to let his day fall away I was more excited than I had been.
And I was pretty damn excited about us moving in with Rhode.
“I like the one on twenty acres.”
“It’s outside of town aways,” he reminded me.
It was twenty minutes south of downtown CDA where Smutties was. But it was perfect. Without seeing the pictures of the house, just the property and backyard, I knew it was exactly where Remy and Rhode needed to be. Seeing the house had sealed it for me.
“It has a room in the basement that would be perfect for a booth,” I told him. “I could work part-time from home.”
Something passed over his face but he masked it before I could get a lock on it.
“I’ll call the realtor, get us a tour.”
“Okay.”
“No one wants my opinion?” Letty cut in.
I knew her opinion; she’d expressed it—repeatedly.
“No guest house.”
“But it’s twenty acres. You can have a mini compound. All I need is a tiny house,” she argued.
“No.”
“Sure.”
The “no” was me. The “sure” was Rhode.
“What?”
“Sweet. Told you Dulles would see the benefit of a built-in babysitter.”
I looked over at Letty to see her smug smile.
“Rhode’s not building you a tiny house.”
“Of course he’s not. I’m building myself a tiny house.”
“Cool!” Remy shouted. “I want to help build a tiny house.”
Reese’s laugh boomed like it had done many times over the hours. He liked Remy and he openly showed it. I loved that the big, tall, often scowly man could light up and laugh at a four-year-old.
“Do you know what a tiny house is, pal?”
“No, but my dad will teach me.”
As if Remy’s statement flipped a switch, Rhode beamed.
“Indeed I will, bud.”
“Awe-some. Now that we’ve worked that out.
And I’ve ordered all the new bookshelves and furniture for Smutties.
And you’ve had a productive day which I’m assuming means life can get back to regularly scheduled programming, it’s time to celebrate.
” Letty stood and scooted around the ugly wicker patio table.
“Apple juice and double-decker sundaes for my good-looking nephew and margaritas for the adults.”
“Adults disqualified from the sundaes?” Reese inquired.
“Aww, do you want apple juice, too?” Letty teased.
“Prefer it actually.”
“Over a margarita?” Letty gasped in mock horror.
“Don’t drink.”
“Like at all or just not to-kill-ya?”
“Not a drop.”
I looked from Reese to Rhode and found him clenching his jaw listening to the exchange. And I really, really wished Letty would learn when to let conversations drop. But in true Letty fashion, she pushed.
“Would you rather we not—”
“Just because I don’t drink doesn’t mean I can’t be around people who do.”
“We can—”
“Letty,” I hissed. “My son’s lookin’ parched. How about you get him some apple juice?”
“Right.” She waved her hand like she was brushing away the very uncomfortable topic of conversation and moved to the door. “C’mon, Remy, let’s start this party.”
I groaned and dropped my head. I heard the back door open, then a hand hit my shoulder and when I looked up Rhode was smiling.
“He’s not an alcoholic. And he really doesn’t care if other people drink. It’s just when he drinks he can’t control the memories so he doesn’t give them an opportunity to creep in.”
“Memories? The ex-wife?”
“He told you about her?” Rhode asked as he lowered his big frame into the wicker loveseat.
“He didn’t get into details, just that she was a cheating bitch.”
“Then he told you the whole story. But no, not memories of her. Memories of his time in service, the men who didn’t come home. The things he saw and did.”
Oh, no. I hated that for Reese.
Wait.
“Do you have those same memories?”
Rhode swept the hair off my neck and let his fingers glide down to the collar of my t-shirt and back up to my ear. Just a whisper of a touch but he was watching his fingers as they grazed my skin, and for some reason I seriously liked him watching himself touch me.
“I do, but not the same as him. When I fall into my thoughts I replay the situation and what I could’ve done differently.
How my actions impacted or my inaction affected the men around me.
The battlefield’s like life; it’s the test. Only, the lesson comes after in the form of blood, despair, and death.
If you’re lucky, you live. If you’re smart, you learn.
And if you’re both, you’re sent back out and the cycle continues. ”
“Did you—”
“Yes,” he interjected.
“I didn’t finish.”
“You don’t need to. Yes, I lost friends. Yes, I saw death. Yes, I’ve taken a life. Yes, I’m happy I’m out. Yes, I miss it. Yes, I wish I’d done things differently. Yes, to all of your questions.”
“You miss it?”
“Yep.”
“But you’re happy you’re out?”
Rhode’s gaze lifted to mine and he grinned.
“Never been happier in my whole life, Sugar.”
Sigh.
“When you say stuff like that you make me want to melt into a puddle of goo,” I blurted out.
“How about we settle on a kiss? A puddle of goo sounds messy.”
That I could do.
I tipped my chin and leaned close but I didn’t get a chance to kiss Rhode. He kissed me. No, rewind, scratch that. He tasted and he took. He did this deep and wet but unfortunately, he did it quick. Rhode broke the kiss, slid his lips to my jaw, then straightened.
I blinked away the haze his smooch left behind and the contemplative look on his face gave me pause.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Wilson offered me a job.”
Now I was blinking for a different reason—confusion.
“A job?”
“He and the guys talked—without asking me my opinion—and they’ve decided to move Takeback’s office to Idaho.”
“That’s fantastic!” Rhode’s jaw clenched at my outburst. Maybe it wasn’t. “Isn’t it? I thought you loved your job.”
“I do.”
Okay, now I was more than confused. I was totally baffled by his strange reaction.
“I thought you only quit to stay in Idaho.”
Rhode let out a sigh—not an irritated one, a painful one.
“My job requires field work. Sometimes we’re wheels up and in the air on a moment's notice. Sometimes we have weeks or months when we’re working a case before we get a lock on where a trafficking ring is located before we go in.
Notice or no notice, the bottom line is with this job comes traveling. ”
Now I understood. He was thinking about his dad leaving on a whim to follow the wind or whatever bullshit phrase the man used to go off on his own and leave his wife and child behind.
It wasn’t something I’d given a lot of contemplation—why Rhode’s dad would just take off.
And I didn’t give it headspace because I knew I’d never understand why a parent would willfully, happily, eagerly leave their family to chase an adventure.
In my humble opinion if Rhode’s father was the adventurous type that couldn’t get the wanderlust out of his veins he should’ve included his family in these ventures.
“It’s not the same thing,” I told Rhode.
“Isn’t it?”
“No. Not even a little bit. Not even in the same ballpark. You wouldn’t begrudge a soldier for his duty. You won’t resent a long-haul trucker for putting food on his table. You leaving to go to work is very, extremely, absolutely, vastly different.”
“Part-time—”
“I love you want to spend every minute with Remington. I love that you are committed to your son and to being a good father. But, Rhode, part of being a good father is teaching your son how to be a good man. How to be happy. How to make sacrifices. You can’t be everything you want to be for him if you’re miserable working a job that you don’t like that’s empty, that doesn’t challenge you even if it means you’ll be home for dinner every night. ”
“Brooklyn—”
“One more thing,” I cut him off. “I want you to be happy. Period. You’re changing your life to be here with us.
I know you don’t see that as a sacrifice but I do.
In the sense that you’re leaving your life behind to start one with us.
I will support whatever decision you make.
But my vote, even if it takes you away from us, is take the job.
But even if you don’t take the job I’m happy Wilson moved the company to Idaho.
I’m happy Remington will have the guys around to—”
I didn’t get to finish.
Suddenly Rhode’s mouth was on mine.
If all of the other kisses Rhode and I had shared were described as hot, this one was scorching. Mind-bending. Fantasy-inducing. Toe-curling. Soul-locking.
“Damn, I love you,” he murmured against my lips.
Four words lingered in the air.
Speechless.
Breath stolen.
Butterflies swarming.
My heart pounded so hard in my chest I was worried I’d crack a rib.
“You love me?”
“So damn much.”
My eyes drifted closed and I let it wash over me—the warmth of the sun on my skin, the beauty of the day, the sound of the birds chirping, the feel of his lips on mine, the fresh spring air in my lungs.
Blessings.
Then I smiled.
“I knew you’d find me,” I whispered. “I knew all I had to do was wait and you’d come back.”
“I will always come back to you.”
“I know you will. Take the job, honey.”
“Baby.”
“I love you, Rhode. Take the job.”
“Okay.”
“Pure drama, that one,” Michael grunted.
He was talking about Letty squaring off with Reese. But he was doing it with a smile on his face.
“Dramatic,” Remington agreed.
Rhode swung Remy over his shoulder and laughed.
“Reese!” Rhode shouted. “Game time.”
Thankfully Rhode’s bellow broke up the bickering duo and Letty huffed and walked into the house. Reese joined Remy and Rhode in the grass and ball-throwing commenced.
“That girl could argue with a brick wall,” Michael continued.
I pinched my lips and said nothing. I mean, really, there was nothing to say—Michael was correct. Letty loved to argue. Of course, Letty called it debating but it was simply good ol’ fashion arguing, though she’d argue that it wasn’t.
Michael grew silent. Then he grew stiff and finally, his face turned to granite.
“I’ll never understand why my girl does what she does,” he stated.
Oh, crap.
Fucking Kiki.
“Raised ‘em both the same. Not one got more than the other. Gave ‘em both the tools they needed but I guess some people aren’t happy with the tools; they want it done for ‘em.”
Again I said nothing because he was right.
“Can’t take the selfish out of someone no matter how hard you try.”
“No, Michael, you can’t.”
“Can’t tell you how sorry I am.”
I hated that Michael thought he needed to apologize to me.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. Kiki’s an adult. She makes her own choices. Sometimes she lets her jealousy get the best of her and she lashes out. But what she did to you and Tally is unimaginable and I’m sorry she did that to you.”
“Always finding the good in people,” Michael muttered. “You get that from your mother. She never had an unkind thing to say. I’m glad Rhode’s here.”
So was I but I didn’t get what Rhode had to do with anything.
“Not that I’m disagreeing but why are you glad he’s here?”
“Soft-hearted woman,” he oddly started. “Strong in all the important ways but too kind for your own good in others. Your mom, she found herself a husband that appreciated that soft spot but protected it. No one, not anyone, was gonna hurt Diane, Ron saw to that. And after you were born he protected you the same. Now Rhode, he’ll see to you. ”
“You’re forgetting you saw to me, too. After I lost them. I had you and Tally. And like my dad, you looked after me.”
“Your dad was the best friend I ever had. Best man I knew. Damn fine father and husband. Him and your mother asking me and Tally to look after you if something should happen to them, no greater honor. If your father was here and he could pick the man you were going to spend your life with he’d have picked Rhode Daley. ”
My throat burned and tears pooled in my eyes.
I loved that!
Loved it so much that Michael thought that way.
God, Kiki was so stupid. Two great parents who were alive and would do anything for her.
And for the second time in the last hour, I counted my blessings.
They were bountiful…and beautiful.